Siding is often used to provide a building with both an attractive and a protective finish. Typical siding systems involve panels of a weather-resistant material fastened directly to an exterior wall of a building. In the past, this has required nails or other fasteners to be thrust through the panel and into the exterior wall, inherently causing damage to both and providing a passage for water to seep into the space between the panel and the wall. Older systems were also limited in their ability to expand and contract with environmental changes affecting the building on which such systems were used. There have been some modifications in more recent times. Current siding and trim systems in the market include James Hardie trims and LP SmartSide trims. These trims are face nailed to the exterior of the building and provide some cosmetic enhancements and protection to the buildings. However, these trims are limited because they are still not sufficiently waterproof. In particular, these systems do not provide air gaps and water traps to protect the trim and building from moisture and different climates. Further, these trims are caulked, which causes tears in the trims when expanding and compressing due to environmental conditions such as different climates and air pressure changes. These tears allow water to seep in the trim and onto the structure underneath the trim, where water is being trapped between the backside of trim and the building causing structural damage to the trim and even more serious causing dry-rot and mold as well as structural damage to the building structure itself. As a result, these trims and the structure itself are subject to extensive dry-rot and mold and costly structural damage due to water entrapment, face nailing, nail pops and blemishes, caulk tarring, shrinking and drying out, lack of air movement, constant expansion and contraction ending in cosmetic damage such as, splitting trim and warping, dry rot and mold to the trims and potentially the building structure itself.
As such, there is a need in the industry for a cost effective siding and system for use on buildings that is pliable to expand and compress when in the presence of different environmental conditions. There is a further need in the industry for a waterproof siding and trim system that effectively prevents moisture buildup and damage to the siding and trim and more importantly the building structure itself. The present invention is such a system.
The present invention represents a departure from the prior art in that the siding system of the present invention is comprised of various interacting components, each being set off from the exterior walls of the buildings on which the system is used and having limited but secure attachment thereon. The components have limited attachment to each other, thereby allowing for expansion and contraction of the building. The components also feature water control structures and each component terminates with a transitional finish to at least one other component in the system.